good habits in a bad economy

thank you, thank you, thank you to all who supported, volunteered and shopped at this year’s sale!

with christmas shoppers being hesitant this season, we didn’t know what to expect at this year’s fair trade bazaar. but we were pleasantly surprised to find that because of where we are, people are beginning to ask more questions about the way we spend money and consequently seeing that making your dollars go further means investing in people and not just consumerism. that being said, we doubled last year’s one day sale and met our ambitious goal of $12K. translation: a whole year’s living wage for 6 artisan families.

we look forward to continuing to explore the possibilities for fair trade in naperville. and we would be remiss if we didn’t say thank you to our gracious and enthusiastic host: Naperville Christian Church. alone, we could not do this. but together we have made a difference in people’s lives and brought more hope to the holiday.

Tell us….

Hope for the Holidays

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We’re back!

“Hope for the Holidays” is getting bigger and better this year as it is hosted by our friends at Naperville Christian Church. The event, which will be December 6th from 10am to 6pm, will once again have your favorite fair trade items, including: coffee, scarves, jewelry, ornaments, toys, baskets and much, much more!

For those of you wondering what fair trade really means, we’ve included a list of the International Fair Trade Association’s principles.

1. Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
2. Transparency and accountability
3. Capacity building
4. Payment of a fair price
5. Gender equity
6. Good working conditions
7. Care for the environment

At the end of the day, it means caring for the person on the other side of a product and being invested in bringing equality and fairness to disadvantaged peoples. Hope and purpose: something everyone wants for Christmas! Won’t you join us on December 6th and rediscover the joy of giving. And bring a friend!

Mission Accomplished

Thank you to all who came, who saw, who shopped fair trade. The bazaar was a success not only in the fact that people bought things but more so because people were excited about the concept, excited about being connected to the producers and excited about giving and getting hope.

Here’s a few pictures from the event. If you are wondering if Andrew is draped in a veil, let me clarify, it’s a malaria net. Which brings me to the other amazing part of the event: living gifts. People were so generous in their living gift donations. It was really so encouraging. Some neighbors even came back several times, each time inspired to buy another ware or living gift.

We wanted to see how fair trade would, well…fair, in our area. We wanted to give hope this Christmas to people in hopeless situations. But in the end, the goal most realized was that people all around us were rediscovering the joy of giving. And that gives hope for the holidays.

Pre-Sale

If you find you are unable to come to the Hope for the Holidays bazaar tomorrow from 12-8pm, we invite you to take part in our practice run pre-sale. You are welcome to come anytime after 4pm and buy your wares today! Some inventory is limited, so it’s a great way to ensure you get that great scarf or necklace before it’s gone!

A link to a map of the event can be found on the left column of this page.

Otherwise, we are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Bring your Christmas list. And for the curious, we do take cash, check or charge (except for American Express).

TASTE AND SEE…

There’s something about opening a box, 18 boxes for that matter, that makes something become so much more real. Up to this point, there’s been a lot of planning, a lot of invites, a lot of thought, and even some newspaper articles on the event, but when you see the products in your home and know that behind each product is a person: it’s really overwhelming. That’s the beauty of shopping this way. When you are connected to your producer, each ornament, each gift, each cup of coffee, is more treasured, more appreciated, more beautiful.

For those of you checking the blog for the first time today, I’m talking about an alternative way to shop this holiday that brings hope to people around the world. We’ve partnered with artisan groups from around the world and different charities, offering beautiful handmade crafts and gifts all while not making a profit, but sending the profit back to these third world artisans. Here are some of the beautiful things we’ve upacked so far….

(thanks t-crest for the rockin’ pictures)

• Ornaments! Picture an owl or a panda peering out at you from your tree, lots of angels and stars, too!
• Coffee! LOTS of coffee! Smells wonderful!
• Jewlery, Scarves! Beautiful necklaces, bracelets, handmade hats, scarves and gloves.
• Instruments! Hand drums to shakers. One shaker for children looks like a giraffe. One delicate ornament has a thumb piano on it and can be actually played.
• 
• Baskets galore.
• Children’s books! Stories of children and countries from all around the world … beautifully illustrated and written.
• Purses! Coin purses too.

• Cookie mixes! Cook books! Coffee! And the best part is you’ll be able to sample these at the bazaar. Test tasters wanted!

MORE boxes to unwrap …and more pictures to come …

Hope for the Holidays Info

We want this to be a place that gives you ideas and information regarding our 1st annual Hope for the Holidays non-profit Bazaar on December 8th from 12-8 at the Cain home.

We know that finding the perfect gift for someone can sometimes be quite a task, so we’re trying to make that process even easier by offering the best gift of all: hope! You see, we forget that our dollars are powerful when spent intentionally and purposefully. So we’ve set up a bazaar full of “fair trade” goods and other “living gifts” for those in need around the world. You can expect to find handcrafts from all over the world, books, music, handmade toys, home decor…the list goes on! We’ve also chosen reputable charitable organizations that offer creative gifts in exchange for your donation. These can vary from malaria nets that save lives to livestock and clean water for a family. In the following weeks, we’ll highlight the different groups we are working with as well as give you some creative gift ideas for him or her. Just check the different posts and links on the left column in the coming weeks for more information.

We’re so excited about the possibilities this season to give hope to our world. After all, that’s what the first Christmas was all about. So bring your friends and join us as we together rediscover the joy of giving.

10,000 Villages’ Gifts for $10.00 and Less

Below are just a few gifts that are available through Ten Thousand Villages. Click on the description of the item to find out more about the artisans and their stories.

Dancing Women Earrings

Onyx Reversible Candleholder

Beaded flower coin purse

Capiz Shell Ornament

Goldfish Paperweight

Gifts of Hope – $10.00 and Under

• nothingbutnets.net – Buy … Distribute … Educate … Save a life
• worldrelief.org
  • Burundi – Fight AIDS with Abstinence … Send a youth group member on a retreat designed to encourage members to stay committed to premarital abstinence and build communities to hold each other accountable to their pledges –
  • Cambodia – Reach Children With Truth – Support teaching teams as they share health messages and Bible-stories through puppetry and drama to thousands of children.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo – Daily Bread – Support teaching teams as they share health messages and Bible-stories through puppetry and drama to thousands of children.
  • Malawi - Offer Guidance – Provide guides for Sunday Schools as they lead students through biblical messages and health messages about AIDS prevention.
  • Mozambique – Care for People with Aids – Provide a manual that clearly explains the causes and symptoms of HIV/AIDS. It will be used by volunteers to share life-saving information and reduce stigma and fear within their communities.
  • Rwanda – LifeSaving Antibiotics – Provide guides for Sunday Schools as they lead students through biblical messages and health messages about AIDS prevention.
  • Rwanda - Seeds of Hope – Provide seeds and tools to people living with AIDS so they can grow nutritious food.

  Step by step we can do this. Step by step, we as individuals can give the gift of hope!